Advice from the past
By Charles F. Wickwire
web posted September 16, 2002
Science fiction writers have long been known for their prophetic
works. Jules Verne, the father of science fiction, started us out
with "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and introduced
us to the concept of submarines. Now on the eve of war with
Iraq, I am reminded of another science fiction author whose
predictions of the future were both bright and terrible.
Robert Anson Heinlein, 1907 - 1988, often wrote about the
human condition wrapped in the trappings of science fiction. He
showed people of the future dealing with the problems of his
present and past. But now we are in Heinlein's future, his
present is our past and his words come to us with both advice
and prophecy.
One quote of Heinleins that is especially poignant today is from
the 1973 novel "Time Enough For Love". Heinlein's immortal
hero Lazarus Long says:
"Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in
mind, it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you
can kill him without hate, and quickly."
This is perfect advice concerning our dealings with Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein. Certainly Saddam doesn't think that he is the
villain. His narcissistic personality is incapable of seeing himself
as anything but the perfect leader of his people and quite
possible the world itself.
We certainly tried every way to make him our friend. For the
last ten years Saddam has been given every chance possible to
join the global community as a respected national leader. He has
chosen to remain an enemy of the West and indeed, of
civilization itself.
And now President George W. Bush has offered Saddam
Hussein an ultimatum. In his address to the United Nations on
September 12 Bush outlined the immediate actions that Saddam
must take to avoid the destruction of his regime. It is very
unlikely that Saddam will give the matter a second thought and
President Bush will be forced to eliminate his regime.
It is important to note that Heinlein's quote includes the words
"without hate". President Bush has been very careful to not fall
prey to the preaching of hate against Islam. Our removal of
Saddam's regime and the continuing war on terrorism must
remain clinical and emotionless. Surgical strikes that cut out the
cancer without killing the patient.
Even with all the evidence that President Bush has against
Saddam, there are still those in the United Nations and across
the globe who are against our use of violence to solve the Iraqi
situation. In the book Starship Troopers Heinlein illustrates the
fallacy of this kind of thinking.
"Anyone who clings to the historically untrue - and thoroughly
immoral - doctrine that 'violence never settles anything' I would
advise to conjure up the ghost of Napoleon Bonaparte and of
the Duke of Wellington and let them debate it. The ghost of
Hitler could referee and the jury might well be the Dodo, the
Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon. Violence, naked force,
has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and
the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst. Breeds that
forget this basic truth have always paid for it with their lives and
freedoms."
We all wish that there was a diplomatic solution to the current
crisis we find ourselves in but there comes a time when we have
to admit the failure of these attempts and resort to the only
option left, force. As Heinlein says, violence has settled more
issues in history than any other factor and it will settle this one.
Some of Heinlein's writings can be very frightening as well.
Another quote from the book Starship Troopers tells us what the
United States was like before its collapse.
"Law-abiding people hardly dared go into a public park at night.
To do so was to risk attack by wolf packs of children, armed
with chains, knives, homemade guns, bludgeon... to be hurt at
least, robbed most certainly, injured for life probably - or even
killed. This went on for years, right up to the war between the
Russo-Anglo-American Alliance and the Chinese Hegemony.
Murder, drug addiction, larceny, assault, and vandalism were
commonplace. Nor were parks the only places - these things
happened also on the streets in daylight, on school grounds, even
inside school buildings. But parks were so notoriously unsafe
that honest people stayed clear of them after dark."
Starship Troopers was published in 1959 and yet Heinlein was
able to predict 21st century America exactly. Even the alliance
between Russia, England and America against China doesn't
sound very far fetched considering the massive military buildup
currently being done by Communist China. At least Heinlein saw
a stronger human race rise up and reach for the stars.
The future is something very much on the minds of Americans
right now. We stand on the edge of the unknown, facing an
enemy whose goal is the total destruction of our culture. In these
times we must steel our resolve and face the challenge. These
challenges are not new, they have been faced by countless
generations before us. Robert Heinlein was a part of one of
those generations and through his writing he offers advice on the
future. It would be unwise to ignore it.
Sources - Time Enough For Love, Robert A. Heinlein, 1973
Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein, 1959
Charles Wickwire is a Computer Specialist who likes to share
his opinion with those who are interested and even those who
are not. He can be contacted at CharlesWickwire@yahoo.com.
Enter Stage Right - http://www.enterstageright.com